If you have made the decision to adopt the services of a Search Engine Optimization Company you have most probably done this with a view to increasing your internet sales. So it would seem obvious that you need to prepare your business for an increase in this area and make sure that you can sustain the additional sales.
Ideally the SEO Company will have given you an idea of the number of “visitors” you are likely to get once the activity achieves it’s goal of getting you a good Search Engine Placement positioning, but clearly these will not all come immediately. As the position gradually improves so do the visits to the website. So in fact you will be able to gradually increase the number of sales that you attain over a period of around two months. This should give you plenty of time to adjust production for example to meet the growing demands. It will also allow for any problems that arise to be dealt with whilst demand is growing rather than the akward transformation from low level sales one day to a flood the next.
That said this reasonably gentle improvement can, over the two months, have a staggering affect on your business. While you have been focussed on the immediate issue of ensuring product goes out of the door it is possible that other areas also needing attention will be overlooked. Your supply chain may be one of those areas. If you rapidly and without warning, double the amount of raw material you order from a supplier will they be able to meet that requirement? If they can, will the delivery times be affected? It may be a good idea to have consultation with members of your supply chain to let them know your campaign and forecasts and ask them to raise any potential issues at the start of the process. Obviously there is no concrete order and the discussion may allow possible problems to be overcome.
Finance and cashflow is another area that may well be affected by a sudden increase in sales and therefore production. What are customer payment terms like, do they cover the situation of increased supplier bills or will the business suddenly see their cash flow position tighten uncomfortably as suppliers insist on payment for the higher volumes of raw material before the sales invoices are paid? It may be that the cashflow situation will not arise due to the credit terms settled on with both supplier and customer but even so an expansion of staff to cope with with the larger picture may be needed.
Lots of other areas of the organisation may need new members of staff to cope with the increases in sales. From the obvious in the sales team and production, to the less obvious in HR, management and customer service the necessity for extra staff may be across the whole firm. Again knowing the forecast sales should allow you to anticipate these numbers and you should prepare for a recruitment campaign as soon as you know the increase is as planned. It can often take a minimum of two months to bring new staff to the firm and at least a further month for them to have anything but a draining effect on the business.
So make certain of good forecasting at the outset of your Online Marketing campaign and plan well for those nice to have problems.
